


Starlit Eclipse

by lesmisjunkie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cheesy, I Don't Even Know, Love Triangles, Multi, Yule Ball (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:47:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28788204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesmisjunkie/pseuds/lesmisjunkie
Summary: Harry would never fall for Luna Lovegood, that's absurd. They're just friends, and that is why he asks her to the Yule Ball. Nothing going on beside friendship.Draco Malfoy isn't even his friend, Harry has absolutely no romantic interest in him either.Those are ridiculous suggestions.Aren't they?
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley, Lavender Brown & Ron Weasley, Lavender Brown/Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood & Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood/Harry Potter
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

"So you're telling me, the bloke who defeated bloody You Know Who three times and is currently a Triwizard Champion can't get a date to a school dance, and neither can his two best mates?" Ron complained, poking at his nearly solid egg yolk.

"Only the one best mate, I've got someone," Hermione murmured.

"What the bloody hell do you mean, you've got someone? Who?" Ron demanded, incredulous.

"Well, I was going to ask Ginny, figured we could go as friends, but just as I was about to go find her, Fred asked me," she smiled bashfully as Fred, having heard his own name, winked at her from across the table.

"Oh for the love of- Fred?" Ron exclaimed disbelievingly.

"And what about it, Ronnikins?" George giggled.

"Jealous, are we?" Fred joked.

"'Course I'm bloody jealous, my great swot of a mate's managed to get a date to this stupid thing before I have. Is this really what I've come to?" Ron complained, grouchily.

"Thanks, Ronald," Hermione laughed, but Fred's expression hardened slightly.

"Right, well, Ron, we ought to get dates. The dance isn't far off." Harry suggested, trying to change the subject before Ron got himself punched.

"Alright, yeah. Who're you going to ask, then?" Ron asked, scanning the room.

"I think I'll ask Luna," Harry declared, unsure of why her name came to mind so quickly.

"Loony Lovegood, you mean? The mental one?" Ron demanded.

"Yeah, alright," Harry laughed, but only halfheartedly.

"Careful, mate, she's bloody bizarre," Ron crowed.

"I'm only asking her as friends, she's not so odd as everyone thinks," Harry leaned over to look at Luna, who was making a house of cards with the toast platter. "Who are you asking, then?"

"Lavender Brown, that pretty blonde girl who's mates with Parvati," Ron muttered.

"Ooh, that's an excellent idea, Ron. She's really sweet," Hermione smiled. "Although, not necessarily the brightest," she added.

"Yeah, I'm not so concerned with all that, to be honest," Ron snickered. "Have you seen the size of her-"

"RONALD WEASLEY!" Hermione exclaimed. 

"Alright, whatever. Harry, I'll ask mine if you ask yours." 

"Deal," Harry replied, getting up and wandering over to the Ravenclaw table. Ron winked at him as he approached Lavender, to which Harry responded with an eye roll.

"Hello, Harry Potter," Luna grinned up at him from the bench of the table. "Having a lovely morning, I hope?"

"Hi. Brilliant, yeah. Er, can I have a word?" Harry noticed his breath catching a little in his throat. This was new. New with Luna, anyway. 

"You can have as many words as you like, Harry," she smiled contentedly. As she got to her feet, Harry noticed her bare feet. What was the point, Harry wondered, in wearing shoes to bed if you aren't even going to wear them when you're meant to be walking about?

"I can see where my feet are going when I'm awake," she whispered to him, as if it were a special secret. She did that a lot, the mind-reading thing. He'd gotten so used to her just automatically knowing what he was thinking that he didn't bother to ask if he'd said that out loud.

"Right, well that's- that's fair, I suppose," he stammered, unsure of why he was so nervous. The worst she could say was no, right? He was only asking her because he needed a date. They'd go as friends, that was all.

She swung her arms as she walked with him out of the Great Hall, sitting criss-cross as they turned the corner. 

"Why are you on the floor?" Harry grinned, trying not to laugh at her.

"You sounded distressed. I thought this might be one of our longer conversations and my legs ache from the Snortletuffs," she replied simply. "Shall I get up?" She rose, not waiting for an answer.

"What's a Snortletuff?" Harry inquired, fascinated.

Luna beamed. Harry supposed that not many people cared about what she said. The thought angered him, he hated that people were so unkind to her. 

"It's like a little octopus, they go in your nose when you breathe and then they dance in your brain. Your brain thinks it's you sending it a signal, so it tries to do the dance too, only it's difficult for me to manage an eight-legged dance," Luna explained. "I've only got two, you see," she added, as an afterthought. Harry thought it was more likely that one of her tormentors hit her with a tarantallegra spell, but he cast this unpleasant idea aside, liking her Snortletuffs much better.

"Right, okay. Anyway, Luna, I've been thinking, you know about this dance thing, yeah?" Harry shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"The Yule Ball, you mean?" She replied absentmindedly, looking at something outside.

"Yeah, that's the one. What are you looking at?" Harry asked, joining her by the window. 

"Oh, nothing really, the lake just looks nice for swimming in, don't you think?" she smiled softly, as if she could see something nobody else could.

"The frozen black lake with a giant squid in it?" Harry couldn't help laughing a little at this, but she grinned at him, not minding.

"Not terribly appealing when you put it like that, is it? But the squid's a lovely, gentle thing. I suppose more people would think so if they tried to know him," she looked down at the ground for a second, her smile fading ever so slightly. Hating the sight of Luna upset, Harry brushed a lock of her long, blonde hair behind her ear. At this, she looked back up at him, the smile returning to her lips. He leaned forward a little, then gave a start and straightened up.

"What were you saying, Harry?" She inquired, apparently having noticed nothing.

"Er, what?" Harry's brain was a bit muddled. "Oh, right, yeah. Well, I was just wondering, would you- er, I mean how would you like to go to the ball?" Harry felt his cheeks go red.

"Well, I'd like to very much, but I'm not allowed to go unless I've got a date in fourth year." She smiled at him quizzically. "Had you forgotten I'm only in third year, Harry?"

For a girl who so often knew what he was thinking, she wasn't making this particularly easy.

"Well, yeah, I meant maybe d'you want to go with me? As friends, of course," He scratched the back of his head, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment from embarrassment. When he opened them, Luna looked positively radiant.

"Ooh, yes please! I've never been asked to a dance before. I really did want to go, too," she beamed, hopping up and down a little on the balls of her feet.

"Brilliant, that's great, then," Harry smiled back at her, delighted. 

"Thanks, Harry," she reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek before skipping back to her breakfast at the Ravenclaw table.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After asking Luna to the ball, Harry talks to Hermione.

It was somewhere between nine o'clock at night and six in the morning, and that was all Harry knew. He didn't know how long he'd been sitting in front of the fire, just staring. He didn't know how many times Luna had popped into his head, and he didn't know why it was such a lot. Regardless, he knew he was in trouble.

"Harry?" He heard a familiar voice whisper from behind him. Turning around in his big armchair, he saw Hermione standing by the stairs to the girl's dormitory.

"Hello," he smiled at her. "Can't you sleep either?"

"No, not at all," she sighed, wandering over to the seat next to his and plopping herself down by the fire. "I bet I know what's got you up so late," she smiled, "and it's not the tournament, is it?"

"N- well, no," he replied, perplexed. "How did you-"

"Luna. Right?" Hermione grinned at him cheekily.

"Yes, actually. Which is odd because we're only going as mates and I have no idea what's happening to me," Harry murmured. Hermione began to laugh, much to Harry's disdain.

"What? What is it?" Harry demanded, indignant.

"You _like_ her, silly," Hermione giggled. "A blind man could see it, but I suppose you've never been the brightest on that score," she added as an afterthought.

"Hang on," Harry protested. "I do not like Luna Lovegood. I mean, I like her, 'course I do, but just as friends, that's all."

"Alright, my mistake. What is it that you think's happening, then?" Hermione raised an eyebrow, amusedly.

"I dunno. I never used to get nervous talking to her like I did today. She seemed unhappy for a moment and I couldn't stand it. And the thought of people being as horrible to her as I know they are sometimes- Merlin, but I've never been so angry." Harry looked up at Hermione, who was beaming. "Oh, _what now?_ "

"This reminds you of nothing?" she smirked.

"No? What?" Harry demanded, confused.

"You get nervous when she's around, you hate seeing her upset, and you've never been as angry as you were at the mere thought of people treating her poorly," Hermione grinned.

"So? That could all be friend stuff, couldn't it?" Harry objected.

"Have you ever felt any of that for me? Or Ron?" Hermione nudged.

"Well- I mean, I guess- I guess not, actually. I mean, I don't like when you two are unhappy and if anyone bullied you the way they do her I'd hex them senseless but- no, not like her," Harry admitted. 

"Exactly," Hermione smiled. 

"Oh, whatever, fine. What's with you then, why are you down here so late?" Harry grumbled, thinking that just _maybe_ he did have a tiny bit of a crush on Luna.

"Oh, same as you, really. Can you believe Fred asked me to the ball?" she laughed.

"Why shouldn't he? Even I know he's liked you forever," Harry snickered.

"Oh, hush up." Hermione smiled, suddenly becoming very interested in something on the ground.

"Well? Do you like him, then?" Harry asked.

"You know what? I think I might," she conceded. "It's just, I know he sees a lot of girls who are much older and prettier and have loads more in common with him. I mean, look at me. I hardly compare to someone like Angelina Johnson, for example."

"Hang on. If you didn't compare to Angelina Johnson, why is it he's asked you and not her?" Harry protested, taking Hermione's tiny hand in both of his.

Hermione smiled, but didn't look convinced.

"Besides, you're beautiful. He'd be lucky to have you, 'mione." 

"You really don't think it's a prank or something?" Hermione whispered, her voice breaking so slightly that nobody but Harry could have noticed.

"No. Fred's a bit insensitive sometimes, but never cruel. Remember how he tried to attack Draco in first year when he called you a- well, when he was being horrible to you? He would never hurt you, Hermione. If he's asked you to the ball, it's because he likes you." Harry said, definitively.

"Thanks, Harry," Hermione smiled. "I think I'm going to go to bed now, okay?

"Yeah," Harry murmured, giving her hand a quick squeeze. "I think I will too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really short chapter because I just wanted to pull a little focus to Harry and Hermione's friendship to push my own private agenda lmfao sorry. Be proud of me for not sneaking any Harmione into this tho because I ship them so hard and it was difficult. Stan the friendship too tho

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written a series before and I'm still not used to ao3 in general, let me know what you think!


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